What do physicians think of veterinarians?

Question

Is there a hierarchy among medical professions? Do surgeons look down upon physicians, or do physicians look down upon ER doctors, or do any of them look down upon veterinarians?

I hope not. I love animals, and vets have a special place in my heart. :D

Answer 1

Kramer from Seinfeld couldn't have said it better that vets have to treat from cats to lizards and that's why he'd rather go see a vet than a real doctor.

I have nothing against vets myself, I have a ton of cats (most of them are over 10 years old) and they need vet visits every now and then. Our vet that is an older guy who charges very cheaply but he's really good at his job operated one of our cats recently who had a very nasty abscess in the chest. Apparently it was some nasty tumor. The cat is doing so much better now, the wound is almost fully closed (it was draining fowl smelling pus before).

For being people that probably don't earn the salaries of a surgeon, they have to learn about the anatomy and diseases of tons of animal species and know how to operate. Not anyone can give an injection to a violent Great Dane that weighs twice as much as the vet. I would have become a vet myself, but euthanizing cats.. I couldn't do it.

I agree, entering vet school is ironically harder than entering med school. Mexico has no private universities that offer the career. You must go to a public university. I wouldn't say that's bad, any med student in Mexico would wish they could study medicine at the UNAM for free and the education is top notch; but entering.. it's daaamn tough because there's too many people and too few slots.

Oh, and vets can get emrrgency calls at bad times. I know a vet who got a call at the middle of a movie and he and his family had to leave halfway through so that he could attend an emergency.

Oh, and in my experience, doctors love making fun of the quirks of all specialties. Surgeons, GY/OB's and Ear,Nose & Throat are the subjects of the most jokes. I've heard my fair array of jokes against Dermatologists as well. Oh and Anesthesiologists, boy, If I could have been paid a dollar for every joke on them...

Answer 2

whether or not someone looks down upon anyone in another profession is a measure of that person's ego, his lack of self knowledge, his immaturity -- Physicians, surgeorns, ER doctors etc all think highly of the profession of Veterinarian if their dog,cat, horse etc - gets ill.   The penicillin given to a horse, for example(combiotic) can be purchased by anyone, and administered by anyone -- it is not suitable for humans, but the knowledge that it needs to be administered and in what quantities is the province of the vet --

Answer 3

Vets nowadays do everything from dental crowns to hip replacements.  ER docs are a special breed- most of us admire them, not look down on them. Both very skilled at what they do, and respected.

Answer 4

Actually, it's kind of hard to look down on vets: it's harder to get into veterinary school than medical school. I've been impressed with their procedural skills, and while I have to keep up with a lot of information, it's only on one species. When I started working in ER's, there was sometimes a negative feeling about it, but that's no longer the case, and we get a lot of referrals from offices that aren't major emergencies.

Answer 5

ER doctors and surgeons are physicians.

Physicians usually don't think about veterinarians unless they have a pet.  

There is no written hierarchy among physicians, but there are always some doctors who think they are better than others.

Answer 6

In my state there is a surfeit of medical schools (6), but only one school of veterinary medicine. I admire vets, especially those who continue to practice large animal medicine. They are at risk of becoming a vanishing breed.

BTW, if you love animals and admire veterinarians, I hope you have read All Creatures Great and Small and the other books by James Heriott (aka James Wright). His vignettes ranged from poignant to hilarious.

Answer 7

I agree with John. Most of us respect them. I've been impressed with every vet I've ever met.

Because there are fewer vet schools, it's harder to become a vet than a "human"doctor. You also have to have a much broader knowledge base. The difference between a child and a geriatric patient is nothing compared to the difference between a fish and a horse.